The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-01-26
The Canes De Verdes.

This southermost group of islands in
the North Atlantic ocean, when APP
preached from the northward, presents
the appearance of bold, precipitous,
broken mountain ranges, rising abruptly
from the sea, very irregular in outline,
dark, barren and repellant in appear
ance. No verdure graces the lofty
SUBMITS, and the deep cleft gorges are
gloomy and awe-inspiring. The peaks
tower aloft to an altitude of one, two,
and even three thousand feet, while
their bases are as much or more below
the surface of the sea, whence they
were no doubt thrown up ages ago by
some violent upheaval of nature in an
effort to find an outlet for the pent-up
gases within the fiery depths of earth.
The waters about them are everywhere
deep, and in clear weather their great
elevation renders them visible for a
long distance, so that the approach to
them is safe. However, the clouds
usually hang over them, hiding their
rugged outlines with the more graceful
folds of their drapery. Barren as these
islands appear, in many of the valleys
the washings from the mountain-sides
have deposited rich soil sufficiently
fertile and productive to support a
population of sixty thousand. With the
exception of eighty English, including
children, the people are of negro blood,
or Portuguese and negro, in which the
latter greatly predominates. They are
indolent, improvident, ignorant and
immoral. The climate of these islands
is generally mild and salubrious. The
trade-winds prevent extreme heat. AT
times, however, these fail, when there
may arise a southeasterly breeze which
brings the heated air from the At
rican coast, which is very oppressive.
There are what are called wet and dry
seasons, but am told that until week
ago there had been no rain upon this
island for two years. We are in the
midst of the rainy season, but have
seen only one light sprinkle. This
island is very healthy. On some of the
others fevers prevail during the rainy
season. An Englishman who has re-
sided here nearly half century tells
me he has never needed the services of
a physician in his family. In the days
when our navy maintained a fleet on
the African coast to assist in suppress
ing the slave-trade, our vessels came
here frequently. A sanitary regulation
was then established forbidding officers
or men from being on shore either on
the African coast or on these islands
between sunset and sunrise. That
regulation still exists, though it would
seem to be needless as far as this port
is concerned / doubt, however, il
any one would care to be on shore al
night, for although there are two hotels
they are not inviting in appearance
and think the accommodations woulC
be far inferior to those to be obtained
on board. Small as our berths are, they
are preferable to the risk of unwelcomt
bed-fellows. We find two American
gentlemen here, both genial down-eas
Yankees. They are engaged in trading
among the islands-one on his own ac
count, the other for a Boston firm
The latter has his family here with him
They evidently find the business lucra
tive. They sell provisions principal,
and buy goat-skins. Vessels bring thu
goods out to them and carry back tn,
hides. The trading is done in small
schooners Correspondence Of Chris
tidn-dt- Work.